you owe them nothing, except in the way of politeness." He was not
mistaken. This trip of the Empress's through Germany was to be one series
of festivities and ovations. Before she left Strassburg she received a
visit from the Elector of Baden, whose grandson, the hereditary prince,
was, the next year, to marry Mademoiselle Stéphanie de Beauharnais, in
spite of the opposition of his mother, the Margravine. M. Massias, chargé
d'affaires of France at Baden, wrote to M. de Talleyrand, November 13: "My
Lord, His Most Serene Highness the Elector, has returned with his family
from Strassburg, where he was most kindly received by Her Majesty the
Empress and Queen. He invited her to honor Carlsruhe with her presence,
and to accept quarters in his castle when she should go to join His
Majesty the Emperor and King. Her Majesty the Empress seemed pleased with
the invitation and promised to accept it if circumstances should permit.
Before his departure, the Elector sent the Prince Electoral to the
Margravine his mother, to beg her to come to Strassburg to pay her
respects to Her Majesty the Empress. She replied that when the Empress of
Austria was at Frankfort and the Queen of Prussia at Darmstadt, she had
not left Carlsruhe to visit them, and that if the Empress of the French
should pass through that town, she should gladly pay her all the respect
and honor due her rank and character."
Charles Frederick, Elector of Baden, was then seventy-seven years old. He
had lost his son, and his heir was his grandson, Charles Frederick Louis,
Prince Electoral, then twenty years old. The mother of this young Prince,
the Margravine of Baden, entertained no friendly feelings towards France;
and he was the brother-in-law of the Emperor of Russia, who had married
his sister, and was at war with Napoleon. His other sister, Frederica
Caroline, had married the Elector of Bavaria, and he was betrothed to the
step-daughter of this Electress, the young Princess Augusta. They were
said to be much attached to each other, but their plans of happiness were
destined to be sacrificed to Napoleon's imperious will, for he proposed to
arrange the matches of the German Princes as he did those of his own
brothers. The Electoral Prince of Baden and the old Elector, his
grandfather, far from complaining, only showed to the Emperor most
unbounded devotion.
We may judge of their attitude and their respect by this despatch of M.
Massias, chargé d'affaires at Carlsruhe, addressed to Talleyrand, under
date of November 23, 1805: "My Lord M. de Canisy reached here from
headquarters at four o'clock this morning, and asked me to inform His Most
Serene Highness the Elector that he had been sent by Her Majesty the
Empress, who meant to come to Carlsruhe within two or three days. I
promised to do this as soon as possible, and told him that great
preparations had been made to receive Her Majesty in a suitable manner.
The Elector, to whom I communicated this news at seven in the morning,
expressed the greatest satisfaction, and he has sent me word that in order
to carry out his desire to give Her Majesty a proper reception, he wishes
me to send a message to Strassburg to find out, 1, the exact day when she
will arrive; 2, the number of persons in her suite, and how many horses
she will need; 3, whether she desires to eat alone or with the principal
persons of her own and the Electoral court; 4, to ask to have at once sent
an official of the court to arrange the quarters and the ceremonies
according to the Empress's wishes. At Kehl, Her Majesty will find a
carriage and eight horses from the Elector's stables. Similar relays will
be placed as far as the frontiers of Würtemberg. Her Majesty will be
escorted by the Electoral cavalry. She herself will determine the
etiquette to be observed at the court of Carlsruhe during her entire stay.
"His Most Serene Highness, the Prince Electoral, will go as far as Rastadt
to meet Her Majesty. The Margrave Louis will meet her outside of Carlsruhe
at the head of his body-guard. Bells will be rung wherever Her Majesty
passes. The city will be brilliantly illuminated."
November 28, at six in the evening, the Empress formally entered
Carlsruhe, which was amid a general illumination. At the Mühburger gate
stood an arch of triumph under which she passed. In front of the arch was
this inscription: _Pro Imperatrice Josephina_; on the other, _Votiva
lumina ardent_. At the entrance of the castle gate stood a little temple
bearing this inscription: _Salve_. In the middle of the garden was a
larger temple, in which was to be seen on a pedestal the Emperor's bust,
crowned with laurels and surrounded with palms. The inscription ran:
_Maximis triumphis sacrum_,--"Consecrated to the greatest triumphs." On
two pyramids was to be read this motto: "Love leads to glory." November
29, there was a grand reception and concert in her honor at the court, At
nine o'clock in the morning of the 30th, she left Carlsruhe for Stuttgart,
after an affectionate farewell to the Electoral family.
At seven that evening she made a similar formal entrance into the capital
of Würtemberg, passing under an arch of triumph bearing her name
surmounted by an Imperial crown. Soldiers lined the way from the gate to
the Elector's castle. The main street was decorated with Egyptian altars,
and was brilliantly illuminated, as was the castle also. The Elector, his
wife, a daughter of the King of England, and all the court received the
Empress at the castle door and escorted her to her rooms, where she
supped. The next day she sat on a platform at a state dinner in the white
hall. Afterwards the company went to the Opera House, where _Achilles_ was
given. After they had returned to the castle there were some fine
fireworks. These festivities continued until December 2, when _Romeo and
Juliet_ was given for the first time, and the 3d, at seven in the morning,
Josephine, after bidding the family farewell, pushed on towards Munich,
while the troops presented arms and cannon were fired.
The Empress was not to stop between Stuttgart and Munich, but on her way
she saw many places that had just become famous in the war. As she drew
near them she looked at the plain where, a few days before, the enemy's
army had marched out before Napoleon and laid down its arms. From Augsburg
to Munich, everything made her journey most brilliant; arches of triumph,
bands of music so numerous that often their notes mingled with one
another, wreaths of leaves, successive guards of honor who joined her,
composed of the Royal Guard of Italy, at nearly every parting station. As
a letter in the _Moniteur_ says, "Enthusiasm succeeded to fear, the whirl
of festivities to the lamentation of battle; all that had been said of the
Empress's benevolence seemed still to make part of her suite, and it was
as if the Angel of Peace had come to visit these countries."
The Empress reached Munich December 5, eight days after leaving
Strassburg. A salute of a hundred guns welcomed her. In almost every
street even houses were draped, windows adorned with transparent and
complimentary figures; the illuminations of private houses rivalled in
expense and splendor those of the public buildings. State carriages were
sent out to the city gates for the Empress and her suite, but Josephine
did not get into any of them; she kept on her travelling dress. This did
not mar the brilliancy of the entrance, which was conspicuous for
universal joy. December 7, she went to the theatre, where Mozart's _Don
Juan_ was given, and she was greeted with sound of trumpets and the
applause of the audience.
The Empress had scarcely reached Munich before people began to talk about
an early marriage between her son, Eugene de Beauharnais, and the Princess
Augusta, the daughter of the Elector, but it was still merely a faint
rumor. The French minister, M. Otto, wrote December 16, 1805, the
following despatch on the subject to M. de Talleyrand: "My Lord,--
Immediately after the arrival of Her Majesty the Empress, the rumor spread
that His Most Serene Highness Prince Eugene was likewise on his way to
Munich, there to conclude a marriage with Princess Augusta of Bavaria. The
rumor has taken such shape in the last few days that a foreign lady, who
has been most kindly received by the Electoral family, ventured to ask the
Elector if she might congratulate him on so desirable a marriage. This
Prince replied that he knew nothing about it; that his daughter was
promised to the Prince of Baden; that the two young people had the
strongest attachment for each other; and that only day before yesterday
the Electress had received from Baden a most affectionate letter on the
subject; and that he loved his daughter too much to wish to oppose her
inclinations. This is the first time that mention has been made at court
of a matter which the public supposed settled quite differently. The
Electress was present at this conversation, and corroborated everything
that was said concerning her brother's attachment to the Princess. This
anecdote, which comes to me straight from the castle, proves that the
Baden marriage is not broken, as has been said at Carlsruhe, unless the
Elector wished to conceal the truth from the lady who questioned him on
this subject. Inquisitive people have tried to make out the true state of
things by watching the conduct of Her Majesty the Empress and the persons
of her suite. The relations of the two courts are confined to politeness
on each side, to social attentions, in which Her Majesty exhibits all her
natural amiability, which wins every heart. Beyond that, there prevails
the greatest reserve."
Maximilian Joseph, Elector of Bavaria, was born in 1756, and was then
fifty years old. He had lost his first wife, who had borne him one
daughter, the Princess Augusta Louisa, who was born in 1788. His second
wife, Caroline, a Princess of Baden, sister of the hereditary Prince of
Baden, to whom the Princess Augusta was betrothed, was then thirty years
old. Though not handsome, she was not devoid of charm, her figure was
good, her manners were amiable and dignified. The young Princess Augusta
was the ornament of the Munich court. She had all the freshness,
brilliancy, and charm of a young German girl of eighteen. As for the
Elector, he was an attractive, sympathetic man, who combined frank
joviality with tact, wit, and delicacy. He was tall; his face was noble
and regular. He liked the French, and they liked him; it was in France
that he had spent many years of his youth. As a younger prince of the
house of Deux Ponts he became Elector only by the extinction of the branch
of his family that reigned in Bavaria, In his early life he had no
fortune. In the reign of Louis XVI. he served in the French armies,
commanding the regiment of Alsace. At the court of Versailles, as in the
garrison at Strassburg, he had left behind him a reputation of good
manners and chivalrous gallantry. His soldiers, who adored him, called him
Prince Max. At that time he might have married a daughter of the Prince of
Condé, but his father and his uncle objected to this match, because, since
he was not rich, he would doubtless have been compelled to make some of
his daughters canonesses, and certain chapters would have been unwilling
to receive them on account of their illegitimate descent from Louis XIV.
and Madame de Montespan. He was fond of recalling the last years of the
old régime in France, and spoke most affectionately of that country, in
which he had been very happy. He was worshipped by his family, his
servants, and his subjects. There was never a kinder, more amiable prince.
Often he would stroll unaccompanied through the streets of Munich, going
to the markets, bargain over grain, enter the shops, talking to every one,
especially to the children, whom he urged to go to their schools. He was
at once familiar and full of dignity, and he was as much respected as
loved. There were many points of resemblance between his character and
that of the Empress Josephine, and they had a very strong sympathy for
each other.
The Empress was ailing during a good part of her stay in Munich, and
whether for this reason or because Napoleon, who was always moving from
place to place, did not get his letters regularly, he was for some time
without news from his wife. He wrote to her from Brunn, December 10, 1805:
"It is a long time since I have heard from you. Have the grand festivities
of Baden, Stuttgart, and Munich made you forget the poor soldier who lives
covered with mud, rain, and blood? I am going to leave soon for Vienna.
They are trying to make peace. The Russians have left and are fleeing far
from here, going back to Russia badly beaten and sorely humiliated. I am
anxious to be with you once more. Good by, my dear; my eyes are well
again."
Napoleon wrote again December 19, renewing his complaint: "Great Empress,
not a letter from you since I left Strassburg. You have passed through
Baden, Stuttgart, Munich, without writing us a word. That is not very kind
or very affectionate! I am still at Brunn. The Russians are gone; we have
a truce. In a few days I shall see what is to become of me. Deign from the
giddy height of your grandeur to interest yourself a little in your
slaves."
From Schönbrunn he wrote to Josephine, December 20, 1805 (29th Frimaire,
Year XIV.): "I have your letter of the 25th [Frimaire]. I am sorry to hear
that you are not well; that is not a good preparation for a journey of a
hundred leagues at this time of year. I don't know what I shall do; that
depends on what happens. I have no will of my own; I am waiting to see how
matters settle themselves. Stay at Munich, amuse yourself; that is not
hard, amid so many pleasant people, in such a charming country. I am
tolerably busy. In a few days I shall have made up my mind. Good by, my
dear."
December 26, peace was signed at Pressburg between France and Austria. The
treaty gave to the Kingdom of Italy, Istria, Dalmatia, and Friuli; to the
Elector of Würtemberg, the title of King and the Suabian territory; to the
Elector of Baden, the Breisgau, Ortenau, and the town of Constanz; to the
Elector of Bavaria, the title of King, the Vorarlburg, and the Tyrol. But
Napoleon had determined that these indemnifications should be paid for by
three marriages,--that of his step-son, Prince Eugene, with the daughter
of the King of Bavaria; that of a relative of his wife, Mademoiselle
Stéphanie de Beauharnais, with the hereditary Prince of Baden; that of his
brother Jerome with the daughter of the King of Würtemberg.
Napoleon, accompanied by Murat, entered Munich beneath an arch of triumph,
December 31, 1805, at a quarter to two in the morning. This entrance in
the night, lit up by torches, was very impressive. The next day, January
1, 1806, a herald-at-arms, escorted by numerous horsemen, passed through
the different quarters of the city, and read the following proclamation,
after a flourish of drums and trumpets, while an immense crowd gathering
in every street and crossway loudly applauded: "By the grace of God, the
dignity of the sovereign of Bavaria having recovered its old-time
splendor, and this State having resumed the rank it formerly held for the
happiness of its subjects and the glory of the country, be it known that
His Most Serene Highness the powerful Prince and Lord Maximilian Joseph
is, by these presents, solemnly proclaimed King of Bavaria and of all the
countries on it dependent. Long live and happily Maximilian Joseph, our
very gracious King! Long live, and happily, Caroline, our very gracious
Queen!" That evening the whole city was full of joy, and the next day was
celebrated as a national festivity.
Napoleon, having recaptured the twenty-nine cannon and the twenty-one
Bavarian flags that had fallen into the hands of the Austrians by the
chances of war and the occupation of the country, had decided to restore
to his faithful allies the trophies which they had valiantly defended and
whose loss they mourned. In the morning of January 2, all citizen soldiery
was under arms, lining the streets through which was to pass the
procession and their precious burden. The cannon were placed on carts
adorned with festoons and garlands, each cart was drawn by two horses
belonging to the citizens; the houses were also decorated with different
colored ribbons. All the young people in the city accompanied these carts.
The students of the Royal College of Cadets carried the flags. When the
procession reached the grand square, a large chorus, accompanied by a
large band, sang a song of thanksgiving and victory. The populace and the
soldiers mingled their cheers with this song. The procession then made its
way to the Church of Our Lady, where a _Te Deum_ was sung with great
solemnity.
January 4, Napoleon wrote to Prince Eugene: "My Cousin,--Within twelve
hours at the most, after the receipt of this letter, you will start with
all speed for Munich. Try to get here as soon as possible, so that you may
be sure to see me. Leave your command in the hands of the general of
division whom you judge to be most capable and upright. You need not bring
a large suite. Start at once, and _incognito_, and so avoid both dangers
and delays. Send me a messenger to give me twenty-four hours' notice of
your arrival." The Emperor had decreed the marriage of his step-son with
Princess Augusta of Bavaria, but he had to go through certain formalities
to overcome the objections of the Queen of Bavaria, who wanted her
brother, the hereditary Prince of Baden, to marry the young Princess. Her
family pride and her inmost feelings revolted against the admission into
her family of a young man whom she looked on as an upstart. She sought for
pretexts and devices to delay, if not to prevent, this alliance. No one
would have dared to say at Munich that the Emperor's step-son was not
great enough to marry a king's daughter, but she found fictitious excuses:
it was said that the young Princess was ailing, and at another time that
she was suffering from a sprain. Napoleon, who sometimes played the
diplomatist, feigned to believe in these alleged ailments, and said that
he would send his own surgeon to heal her. He would gladly have returned
speedily to Paris, where he deemed that his presence was necessary, but
his Chamberlain, M. de Thiard, whom his previous negotiations had made
familiar with the secrets of the Bavarian court, advised him to stay in
Munich until the marriage was absolutely settled. "Very well," said the
Emperor; "but do you know that while I am here, your Faubourg Saint
Germain is making a run on my bank, and that my stay in Munich costs me
fifteen hundred thousand francs a day?" M. de Thiard insisted, and dared
to show Napoleon the Queen of Bavaria's ever-present recollection of the
Duke of Enghien, which was the secret cause of her aversion to the
projected alliance. But this opposition could hold out for only a few
hours; no one then dared to brave the Imperial wrath. The Queen, fearing
that Napoleon's surgeon would discover that the Princess's alleged
sufferings were only an excuse, yielded to the wishes of the hero of
Austerlitz. The marriage was announced even before the couple had met.
Everything was done in military fashion. Orders were issued that they
should love, and they loved.
There is this to be said in behalf of Napoleon; that in the whole matter
he made no use of harsh words or rough manners. He appeared in an
attractive, not in a threatening light, and by dint of appearing smitten
with the Queen of Bavaria, even aroused Josephine's jealousy.
Prince Eugene arrived, as commanded, January 10. He had the good fortune
to please; but even if he had not pleased it would have made no
difference. As soon as he reached Munich, after travelling day and night,
the Emperor took possession of him and never left him. The Empress was
still in bed when her son's arrival was announced. She was much moved, and
began to cry at the thought that his first visit was not to her. A moment
later, while she was still agitated, she saw the Emperor burst into her
room, holding the young Prince by the hand, and pushing him forward as he
exclaimed: "Here, Madame, is your great booby of a son whom I'm bringing
to you." Josephine burst into tears, and pressed her son to her heart.
Eugene de Beauharnais, a French Prince, and Viceroy of Italy, was then
twenty-four years old. Mademoiselle Avrillon, reader to the Empress, thus
draws his portrait: "Prince Eugene's face, although in no way remarkable,
was rather well than ill favored; he was of medium height, well
proportioned, and stoutly made. He excelled in all sorts of corporeal
exercises, and was an accomplished dancer. Kind, frank, simple in his
manners, without haughtiness or reserve, he was courteous to every one;
and although he was not devoid of deep feelings, his most striking trait
was persistent good spirits. He was very fond of music, and sang very
well, especially Italian songs, which all his family preferred. As he was
young, he naturally paid many women attention, as I have often seen, but
he always treated them with great respect." Napoleon was very fond of him,
and looked upon him as his pupil, as his own child. He was delighted with
the way Eugene discharged his duties as Viceroy, and when he received his
despatches he exclaimed in the presence of several marshals, "I knew very
well to whom I had entrusted my sword in Italy." He often gratified
Josephine by saying, "Eugene may serve as a model to all the young men of
his age."
The young Prince showed great tact and intelligence in his first meetings
with his future wife. He sought every means of pleasing her, paid her
assiduous court, as if their marriage was still undetermined. He was able
to overcome the Princess's prejudices, for she had given her consent only
at the last moment, as a victim sacrificed for reasons of state. Her
father, the King, dreading the excitement of an interview, had written to
her a letter, in which he set out all the advantages of the match desired
by the Emperor, vaunted the good qualities of the young and dashing
Viceroy of Italy, an to prove that it was a brilliant match, revealed to
her what was then unknown, that at Pressburg the Austrian Minister had
offered to Napoleon for his step-son the hand of one of their
Archduchesses. "Consider, dear Augusta, that a refusal would make the
Emperor as much the enemy as he has been hitherto the friend of our
house." And he ended his letter with a last appeal to his daughter's
patriotic devotion. The young Princess replied by writing: "I place my
fate in your hands; however cruel it may be, it will be softened by the
knowledge that I am sacrificed for my father, my family, and my country.
On her knees your daughter prays for your blessing; it will aid me to bear
my sad lot with resignation." The girl's unhappiness soon gave way to joy.
The Empress had spoken to her most warmly of Eugene's qualities, his
bravery, loyalty, and gallantry, and the Princess found out that Josephine
was right. She forgot her cousin, the Prince of Baden, fell
instantaneously in love with Eugene, and this marriage for reasons of
state turned out to be a love match. It was celebrated with great pomp in
the Royal Chapel, January 14, four days after the bridegroom's arrival at
Munich. The Emperor adopted Prince Eugene, and gave in the marriage
contract the name of Napoleon Eugene of France. This adoption wrought a
great change in their correspondence; previously the Emperor when he wrote
to the Viceroy addressed him as, "My Cousin"; henceforth he always wrote,
"My Son." Madame Murat, who was then at Munich, was pained to see that the
new Vice-Queen, as wife of the Emperor's adopted son, took precedence of
her at all ceremonies, and she feigned an illness to avoid what seemed to
her an affront.